From the just-in-case file -- fireproof safes

Butch and Sundance blew them up. Al Capone was fond of them, although the one Geraldo found was empty. And Charlize Theron looked great cracking them in “The Italian Job.”

Heck, you probably even had one when you were a kid.

But let’s face it, safes aren’t sexy.

Unless, of course, a wildfire has just reduced your house to a pile of ashes, and you’re looking for a copy of that homeowners policy explaining your coverage.

Gee, it’s probably in the safe, right, honey?

Before you run out to your local big-box home improvement store seeking peace of mind and domestic tranquillity, be aware that all safes are not created equal. You get what you pay for, and all fires are not created equal either.

For the average consumer, fire protection for important documents is the main reason for a safe. Brands such as Sentry, which are commonly found at Home Depot, Lowe’s and other stores, offer a variety of small to medium-size chests and file cabinets that will keep papers safe from fire for at least 30 minutes and, in some models, from water damage or an explosion.

And, in keeping with advancing technology, there are small safes that will protect computer and audiovisual media, such as storage devices, computer discs and photographic negatives.

Do you need one? Well, that depends. As one Los Angeles County fire captain explained, many home fires are extinguished before the house burns completely.

Still, $75 to $500 can buy one of several safes that will store your tax returns, passports, birth certificates and the like.

The Sentry model 1170 ($98) provides 30-minute protection from fire and will accommodate hanging files. For $329, the company offers the model 6000 two-drawer file safe, which holds 100 file folders and ups your fire protection to one hour.

In the same protection time range, there is the Brinks 5059 Fire Safe, about $125, with one-hour fire protection, or the FireKing FK16131EL, also with one-hour protection, for about $300.

Such models are mainly designed to stay cool inside and don’t offer much theft protection. If you are seeking real security, you’re looking at more custom models, and you’re likely to spend in the thousands. Liberty Safe’s bestseller, for example, the Lincoln series, offers one-hour fire protection, a 4-inch-thick steel door and 25, 35 or 50 cubic feet of capacity. The cost: $1,700 to $2,500, direct from the factory.

These safes often come rated with a dollar amount ($1,500, for example), which is a rough guide to about how much in valuables you should feel secure storing in them.

If that doesn’t make you feel comfortable -- and it probably doesn’t -- well, that’s why they invented safe-deposit boxes.